Independent Study

During the final four weeks of the program, you can choose to use your new language and cultural skills and the academic knowledge you have acquired to complete an Independent Study Project (ISP) on a topic of interest to you or complete an Internship with a local community organization, research organization, business, government agency, or international NGO

The ISP is conducted in Rajasthan or in another approved location in India. The ISP provides you with an opportunity to pursue original research on a situation or topic of particular interest to you.

Sample topics:

Documentary film project on the holistic impact of hydroelectric dams on rivers in the Himalayas

Environmental injustice and interconnection in the context of the Ganges

The role of women in traditional seed supply systems

SIT internships are hands on and reflective. In addition to completing the internship, you will submit a paper processing your learning experience on the job and analyzing an issue important to the organization you interned with, and/or you will design a socially responsible solution to a problem identified by the organization.

Topics and placements may vary according to the availability of each institution. Sample internship sites:

Interning in urban planning, energy, and food distribution at the Institute of Development Management in Rajasthan

Assisting rights-based approaches to development and adult literacy efforts at Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra in Uttarakhand

Conducting development communication and field documentation work at DamageControl in New Delhi

Aiding efforts related to legal rights, reproductive health, and capacity building for women at Jagori Grameen in Himachal Pradesh

Key Topics of Study

Development concepts, theories, and approaches

India’s transition: post-1990s

Rural and urban development: crises, challenges, and responses

Moving beyond “developmentality”

Systems thinking and sustainability

Creating a roadmap for sustainability in India and radical ecological democracy

Development alternative interventions and case studies

Money Matters

Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor.

SIT tuition and room and board fees include the following:

All educational costs, including educational excursions

All accommodations and meals for the full program duration

Transportation to and from the airport, and on all educational excursions

Health and accident insurance

Scholarships:

SIT awards nearly $1.6 million in scholarships and grants annually.

All scholarships and grants are need-based.

Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000.

The SIT Pell Grant Match provides matching grants to all students receiving Federal Pell Grant funding when it is applied to an SIT Study Abroad semester program.

Contact the financial aid and/or study abroad office(s) at your college or university to learn if your school’s scholarships and grants and federal and state aid programs can be applied to an SIT Study Abroad program.

NOTE: The deadline listed is for REGISTRATION with the Reves Center! The APPLICATION itself will be due to the third-party provider or host university DIRECTLY, based on THEIR deadlines (which may be before or after the W&M registration deadline listed above).

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